Data driven decision making has got to be the most used phrase in education today. I recall hearing it used in nearly all of my staff development sessions as well as being the first thing we learned in my educational leadership program.

Two years ago I was bored, so I created a TikTok account. I had no intention to seriously do anything with it other than watch other people’s videos and be entertained — simply relieve my boredom. I didn’t write a real bio listing my profession or passions, yet the one I wrote proved to be quite prophetic. “Trying to create an abundant, prosperous, joy-filled life from scratch.” Those exact words are what I’m trying to accomplish.

Currently, I’m an amicably divorced 55-year-old unemployed Engli

Editor’s Note: See Jane Write now publishes personal essays by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.

I’ve dreamed and often fantasized about being a writer for more than half of my 55 years. Life-threatening uterine cancer pushed me to pursue writing seriously because falling back on my previous profession, a high school English teacher, to support myself is no longer an option. I believe that sometimes God puts us in situations where we don’t have a